Daniel Radcliffe Receives a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Yesterday, on November 12, now officially “Daniel Radcliffe Day” in Hollywood, Daniel Radcliffe received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Though he has moved on to a create a diverse acting portfolio for himself, with a variety of roles on screen and on stage, Radcliffe will always be tied to his role as the beloved character of Harry Potter. (Videos of the ceremony can be seen below.)

Expressing his gratefulness at receiving such an honor, Radcliffe told Variety:

“It’s really an incredible honor,” he says about the star. “We (Brits) have a national embarrassment about people saying nice things about us, so I was taken aback at first but then I had a real sense of gratitude. Only about 20% of people who work in film and television end up on the Walk of Fame. It’s kind of amazing. I don’t know if they remove these things, but no matter how badly I mess up, they can’t remove it,” says Radcliffe, who has managed to avoid the fate of many of showbiz child stars while navigating his way to adulthood.

“It’s a very transient industry, but there’s something permanent about (the star),” says Radcliffe, who also has had his hands and feet immortalized in front of the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood along with his “Harry Potter” co-stars Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.

Variety reported more on Radcliffe’s post-Potter roles that have certainly contributed to his award, by showcasing his skills in diverse roles. That article can be read here.

Leron Gubler, President and CEO of Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, gave a speech introducing Radcliffe. He began by honoring a young man that has “literally had a spell-binding career.” Radcliffe received the 2,565th star on the Walk of Fame. He was awarded, of course, a star in the Motion Picture category.

Gubler gave a brief synopsis of Radcliffe’s entire acting portfolio. Daniel was recognized with the beginning of his career at age 9, playing Young David in the BBC/PBS production of David Copperfield. Gubler goes onto list Radcliffe’s more recent projects that have been completed this year, and will be completed next year. Gubler saved even mentioning the Harry Potter films until the very last sentence of Radcliffe’s filmography introduction, before moving onto talking about Radcliffe’s roles on stage, his other achievements, awards, and philanthropy work.

Before Daniel spoke, his good friend and comedian, Chris Hardwick, had a few kind words to say. His comment that Daniel should have received a star just for growing up in the industry and not becoming a jerk garnered lots of cheers.

HOLLYWOOD, CA – NOVEMBER 12: Actor Daniel Radcliffe is honored with a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 12, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/WireImage)

Harry Potter director and producer, Chris Columbus, took the stage after Hardwick. He talked about casting Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter after seeing him on screen as Young David Copperfield, as well as watching him grow in the versatile roles he has taken in addition the Potter films. Columbus said he cried tears of pride at Daniel’s other performances, even the comedic roles.

Daniel gave a moving speech, and acknowledged his gratefulness at the role the Harry Potter films and his Harry Potter fans have had in his life. He thanked those fans who showed up for his ceremony, frightened that only a few lonely people would show up. Radcliffe mentioned being lucky quite a bit. Dan said in his acceptance speech:

“A few months ago I was walking along here with a couple of friends and was becoming in awe and slightly overwhelmed by the names that I was going to be joining. Growing up in England, when you hear the word Hollywood, right after you picture the sign on the hill, you picture these stars. It feels a very long way from when you grow up in Fulham to this.

“Thank you to everyone…As this is an honor mostly related to Potter, I would be remiss if I didn’t not thank Warner Brothers and David Heyman for making those films, and for allowing me to be in them. Thank you to everybody who came today, by the way. I really wasn’t sure what this would be, if it was going to be just me and six people. I didn’t know if you would all turn up, this is amazing. Fans of the Harry Potter films are unique and amazing and wonderful. Still six years on since I’ve finished them, I am constantly being amazed by their passion, and by their curiosity, and by the fact that they are interested in so many other things than Harry Potter. That is a curiosity that I think was fostered by Jo Rowling and passed on to all of you. Thank you for carrying that on, and thank you for supporting me in my other efforts as well.“

Daniel went on to talk about how his love for the film industry was instilled in him by Chris Columbus and working on the Harry Potter films. He talked of how his wonderful experiences on the Potter films shaped his career. Last but not least, Daniel also thanked his parents:

“I talk about luck a lot. I was very lucky to get the part of Harry, I was lucky I enjoyed working long hours right from the word “go”, and I’ve been lucky enough to be able to continue my career and work with the people I love in the years since Potter finished. But the seeds of all my luck were sown at the very beginning, 26 years ago, when I got you as parents. So thank you, and I love you.“

A short version of the award ceremony can be seen below, courtesy of Press Association:

Variety has posted the entire award ceremony on its YouTube channel. The 47 minute video can be seen below. Not much happens until the speeches begin at time marker 24:00. Daniel’s speech begins on marker 36:52.